Instead of the Heroine, I Married the Male Lead

Just then, there was a sound announcing Winston and the Empress’s arrival.

Kaien, along with Philome, stepped out from the corner and slightly bowed their heads.

The Empress, dressed in splendor, was being escorted by Winston in a warm and affectionate manner. Kaien watched them with a subdued gaze.

The Empress made a brief speech to announce the start of the banquet. As a duke, Kaien was obligated to greet the royal family, so he stood with Philome before the Empress.

 

“Ah…”

 

The Empress spotted Philome and slowly scanned her with a subtle gaze.

 

“I greet the shining glory of Vernum.”

“Indeed. I’ve heard about the engagement of the Duke of Wintbell, but this is my first time seeing his fiancé.”

 

The Empress turned to look at Winston with affectionate eyes.

 

“I sent the Third Prince as His Majesty’s representative, hoping it would please the Duke of Wintbell. It was meant to surprise him.”

“The Third Prince made my engagement party shine.”

 

Kaien’s voice, spoken calmly, sounded devoid of any emotion.

The Empress slightly narrowed her brows and turned her head toward Philome.

 

“Congratulations on your engagement to the Duke of Wintbell, Milady. Oh, perhaps my congratulations are a bit late?”

“No, not at all. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“I hope it’s not rude to ask, but how did you meet the Duke?”

“Hmm?”

 

Philome instinctively replied.

 

“It may be something the Milady doesn’t want to hear, but it’s a well-known fact that the Duke of Wintbell holds a place in the hearts of many young ladies. He’s considered a top groom. I’ve been quite curious about who would end up marrying the Duke of Wintbell.”

 

The Empress blinked her eyes innocently, like a child and asked. If someone saw her, they would think she was asking out of pure curiosity.

 

‘Ah, she’s similar to Nadia.’

 

But to Philome, it appeared differently. It felt like the Empress was pretending to be pure while being manipulative, much like Nadia.

Of course, there were differences. The Empress appeared to be intentionally manipulative, while Nadia genuinely appeared unaware of her actions. Right now, the Empress was pretending to be innocent, which gave her a similar vibe to Nadia.

Kaien felt the same way about the Empress; he found her unpleasant to look at. 

In fact, it was common for high-ranking nobles to be entangled in contractual relationships. The fact that he, who could marry a woman of royal status like a princess, had chosen a countess’s daughter must have had a reason. The intention of asking that question was so obvious.

However, Kaien disliked the idea of him and Philome appearing to be in a contractual relationship. 

So he affectionately wrapped his arm around Philome’s shoulders. 

Philome looked up at Kaien reflexively, as if caught off guard. 

 

“We met by chance. It’s a personal matter, so I can’t go into detail…”

 

Kaien smiled gently.

 

“We care about each other a lot.”

 

Philome instinctively held her breath and stared at Kaien. 

The Empress, expecting a trivial tale of fate or a declaration of love at first sight, contorted her face in disbelief. 

Winston, noticing the Empress’s expression, hurriedly smiled and said,

 

“It seems the lady and the Duke have a very good relationship, Mother.” 

“…Indeed.”

 

The Empress quickly put on a smile.

 

“You two suit each other very well, Duke.” 

 

Kaien didn’t want to feel obliged to respond with thanks, so he simply smiled back. 

 

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

 

As Kaien turned, he glanced back and forth between Winston and Philome. 

Then he bowed slightly toward Philome.

 

“Milady, let’s go to the lounge for a moment.” 

“Oh, yes.”

 

Philome obediently followed Kaien’s lead. 

Soon, they entered the lounge, prepared on the second floor of the banquet hall, and sat down on the sofa.

 

“Phew, I didn’t expect the Empress to ask something like that suddenly.”

“She’s probably very interested in our relationship. She’s eager to manipulate high-ranking nobles as she pleases without realizing her own position as the Empress.”

 

Philome was taken aback by Kaien’s sharp assessment.

 

‘He’s not even trying to hide his animosity toward the Empress.’

 

Just as Kaien was about to say something, someone knocked on the lounge door and entered.

 

“Chamberlain?”

“Duke Wintbell.”

 

Confirming it was the chamberlain, Kaien stood up.

 

“Is there an urgent matter?”

“It seems you should go now…”

 

Philome noticed the chamberlain glancing at her and realized it wasn’t her place to be there.

 

“Duke, you should go. I’ll stay here.”

“I’ll be back soon, Milady.”

 

Kaien immediately left with the chamberlain. Left alone for a moment, Philome let out a soft sigh and slumped on the sofa.

When she was just a countess’s young lady, there hadn’t been anything that warranted this much attention. That seemed to be the only advantage before her engagement.

Philome quietly blinked for a moment, then got up from the sofa and headed to the balcony attached to the lounge.

A cool breeze brushed against her. The sun was just beginning to set.

She leaned against the balcony railing and watched the sunset.

Closing her eyes, she let the wind blow over her.

Everything felt peaceful, as if it were a dream.

 

“…Mel?”

 

At the familiar address, Philome quickly turned around.

After confirming the identity of the other person, she immediately lowered her head and bowed.

 

“Your Highness, the Third Prince.”

Philome promptly asked, “How did you come here? The lounge should have been marked as in use.”

“Oh. Ah, I’m sorry, milady. It seems I didn’t see the sign and just walked in.”

 

Winston apologized, clearly flustered.

Then he looked around.

 

“Were you perhaps with someone?”

“…No. I was alone.”

“…I see. I must have seen it incorrectly.”

 

Winston turned around, looking disappointed.

Just as Philome felt relieved, Winston abruptly turned back.

 

“Milady, have we met somewhere before?”

“We’ve met a couple of times. In front of His Majesty the Emperor’s audience room, and at the engagement ceremony.”

“I didn’t mean that. I meant before that.”

“Well, Your Highness, you’ve only been in the country for a few days… and I’ve never been abroad, so I don’t think we’ve met before then.”

“…No, my mistake.”

 

Winston turned back towards the door.

As the Third Prince left, Philome sighed in relief and sat back down on the sofa.

But before she could catch her breath, the door swung open again. Startled, she got up from her seat.

 

“…Duke.”

 

But this time, the person who entered was not Winston, but Kaien. Philome felt relieved and relaxed.

 

“You’re back.”

“…Was the Third Prince here?”

“Oh, yes. He came in by mistake, thinking there was no one inside, and apologized and left right away.”

“Nothing happened?”

“Yes, that was the end of our conversation. Did you finish your business, Duke?”

“Ah, yes. Let’s go back now. There’s no need to stay until the end.”

 

Philome accepted Kaien’s escort and left the banquet hall to get into the carriage.

 

“Ah, Milady. I just remembered. You asked me about something last time. About Emon’s whereabouts.”

 

Remembering the request she had made a few days ago, Philome straightened up her posture.

 

“What did you find out?”

“It’s confirmed.”

 

Kaien handed Philome a document.

 

“Your ex-fiancé has returned to his home.”

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

“Miss, here you go.”

“Thank you.”

 

I received the orange juice that Sophia handed me. As I took a sip, the sweet yet tangy flavor spread in my mouth.

 

“Indeed, Uncle’s orange juice is the best.”

“Agreed. The chef at the Duke’s estate is skilled, but I doubt they can match Uncle’s orange juice.”

 

Sitting side by side with Sophia, we enjoyed our juice while watching the people around us.

Sophia, diligently drinking her orange juice, said,

 

“By the way, Miss. Do you really think Nadia, or rather, that woman, is really here?”

“Since finding out that Nadia had run away with Emon, Sophia has referred to her as “that woman.”

“Emon has returned, so Nadia must have returned too. But I’m not sure. That’s why I’m here.”

“I see. I thought you finished your conversation with Harnen quickly today, so I guess this was your original destination.”

 

We were currently in the square.

When Kaien mentioned it yesterday, I didn’t hear any news about Nadia. Only that Emon had returned to his family.